Open Your Eyes
by Gaspazha Belikova
Summary: Adrian and Sydney, happily in love, decide to go on a romantic getaway to Rome – somewhere Sydney has always yearned to visit. However, their trip soon gets cut short when red-eyed creatures of the night arrive. With no guardians or other people about, it is up to them, and only them, to get out alive. POST The Indigo Spell. For missvalover94's song contest. Three-shot.


_A/N: Hi guys! This is for missvalover94's contest. It's based off the song 'Open Your Eyes' by Snow Patrol. Obviously, I don't own Vampire Academy, Bloodlines or the song. I hope you enjoy this. It will either be a two or three shot. Oh. I don't advise you read this if you haven't read The Indigo Spell. Oh, and the competition is on the Vampire Academy archive. However, since the story revolves around Adrian and Sydney, I chose to post it here.  
_

_This is kind of an introductory chapter so you can get the background. So, I am sorry for it being a filler. _

* * *

**Adrian**

* * *

Sliding the balcony door open, I crept out onto the terrace and stared up at the sunset, completely and utterly in awe. It was dazzling – truly a sight to behold. Disappearing behind St. Peter's Basilica, the golden sun caused the outline of The Vatican to become even more beautiful, impossibly so. Next to it, purple and blue splotches decorated the sky like splatters of paint on a light blue canvas. I curled my fingers around the railing and leant forwards, peering up at the clouds just in time to see a colourful bird flying overhead. _A hoopoe, _I thought.

Suddenly, having spotted the bird and sunset, I ached to pick up a brush and paint the image before me. I wanted, no _needed_, to capture the city's beauty and brilliance – the traffic-filled streets, the ancient ruins, and the vivid colour of the River Tiber – I needed to paint it all. My eyes widened. I was shocked. Usually, I only got that reaction from being around Sydney, the alchemist who was undoubtedly the most beautiful creature walking the earth. For a city to evoke that kind of response from me, well, it had to be stunning. And Rome certainly was.

However, instead of grabbing a paint kit like I wanted to, I simply sighed and scratched the back of my neck.

Admittedly, I was uncomfortable, which was probably why I didn't instantly start sketching St. Peter's dome. The weather was so humid that my clothes were sticking to my back and mosquitoes kept buzzing annoyingly around my head. I couldn't bring myself to care too much, though. No, all I cared about was _her _happiness and, believe me, _she_ was more than overjoyed. _Sydney. _It had always been her dream to visit Rome, and I, Adrian Ivashkov, had finally made that happen. Obviously, I was more than proud of myself – proud that I'd managed to make her smile, laugh. That was all that mattered to me. Besides, since living in Palm Springs, I had grown used to stuffy climates, even though I was a Moroi. So, the city's weather wasn't as discomforting as it should have been. I could handle it.

Tightening my hold on the balcony, I allowed my eyes to close so that I could relax and bask in the tiring sunlight. It was strange that we had been here for four days already. Sydney and I. Yet, there were still so many places to visit: The Coliseum, Pompeii and the _via sacra _were just a few of many. I almost rubbed my hands together enthusiastically; I couldn't wait to finish our tour of Rome and its surrounding cities.

Behind me, I heard the distinct sound of glass doors sliding slowly, causing my eyes to snap open. Knowing that it could only be one person, my lips curved up into my infamous crooked smile. Sydney Sage. Though I felt bad about waking her up from her nap, I couldn't help but be pleased when she stood next to me, leaning against the railing and mirroring my position. Taking a deep breath, Sage started to bounce on the balls of her feet. Immediately, I was reminded of the hoopoe bird, little and lithe, as it soared in the air above.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Sydney said, gesturing wildly at the scenery in front of her. My smile grew even larger. She was getting that look again, the semblance of passion and excitement, which always sparkled in her eyes whenever she talked about cars or ancient cities, or even me sometimes. Upon further examination, I realised that her aura had brightened too and the purple was much more prominent. That only confirmed what I already knew. She was enthusiastic about the topic of conversation.

Once I realised what I was doing, I quickly stopped checking out her aura. She hated when I used spirit, because it slowly drove me insane – something which she'd obviously like to avoid.

"I was just thinking about painting it," I confessed, turning back to the view. "I mean, it's better than the ski lodge and my great-aunt's garden combined."

"You should paint it then," she suggested, curling her fingers around the balcony's railing.

"No, I have a better idea."

Reaching out, I gently placed my hand on top of hers and intertwined our fingers. The feeling of her warm, silky soft skin against mine made me sigh almost instantly, and I would never take that sensation for granted. After all, nothing lasts forever, especially in our world, what with the Strigoi and everything.

It was strange to think that we were finally together, Sydney and I, because she'd been so adamant about keeping our relationship platonic before. However, against all odds, we were in Rome together – as a couple. I'd never truly believed that she would willing return my love, even though I had arrogantly insisted it before. No, she'd had too many rules and regulations hammered into her by the alchemists. Yet, after breaking her tattoo, she seemed to have no qualms about the subject. Suddenly, as I squeezed her hand, a song came to my mind which totally described my feelings.

_All this feels strange and untrue, and I won't waste a minute without you._

"So, what's this idea then?" She asked, disrupting my thoughts. Oh yes, the idea.

"Come with me," I replied, removing her hand from the railing and tugging her back into our hotel room. "I trust it's okay to go outside after dark, what with your magical abilities."

Leading her out of our suite, I shut and locked the door behind me, not bothering to explain my plan any further. She would thank me later, I was sure. I knew that she secretly liked surprises, it was exciting for her and excitement was something she didn't get to experience often – at least, not the good kind anyway. She did have quite a lot of run-ins with evil witches and warriors, which I suppose you could call thrilling. Thrillingly life-threatening. Taking the tie from around my neck, I placed it in front of her eyes and knotted it at the back, creating a make-shift blindfold. Perfect.

I kept one hand on her at all times as we made our way down the Italian streets. Even though I knew I'd be hopeless against a Strigoi, I could still pack a good punch and hurt, say, another Moroi or human. I wouldn't hesitate to do it either, that is, if someone ever tried to attack Sydney. Realising what I was thinking, I shook my head, clearing away any and all thoughts of _that_. I didn't need those images in my mind.

Seeing the amount of traffic increase, I knew that we were almost at our destination. The heart of the city. Buildings were towering over us, cream in colour with their shutters closed for the night. Lots of vespas in red, white and blue, were zooming down the street, carrying passengers of one or two. People were out and about at night, not caring about the evil vampires that walked the streets, because they simply didn't know of their existence. It both killed and amazed me. Ignorance really was bliss. Finally, with a sigh, I saw that we had arrived.

Sydney, sensing that we had come to a stop, gestured to her blindfold frantically, wanting to get the piece of material off her head. I couldn't blame her. It was hot already without having a tie fastened securely around your skull. Showing her mercy, I carefully plucked at the ends of the blindfold and freed her from its clutches.

She gasped.

Right in front of us, the Coliseum was lit up beautifully from head to toe. There were a few people around, sure, but it was still quite quiet considering the amount of tourists walking about. Somewhere in the distance, probably from a nearby restaurant, we could hear some soft, romantic music drifting through the streets. It was as lovely as I'd hoped. Linking my fingers through Sage's, I squeezed her hand and turned my admiring gaze onto her. She was as beautiful as the ancient ruin before me.

Her blonde cropped hair rested on her shoulders, which were uncovered because of the heat. However, a few unruly strands were unusually out of place, making me ache to brush them out of her eyes. Speaking of, Rome's weather had really brought out the gold in her orbs, which was something I always loved to see. It reminded me of that night in my apartment – the night I realised that I had feelings for her. Clearing my throat gruffly, I seemed to realise that I hadn't spoken in a while and I needed to fix that.

"So, what do you think?" I prodded, motioning with our linked hands to the Coliseum. "I'm amazing, huh? You don't have to compliment my brilliance, Sage, because I already know."

"I've always wanted to come here, but because of being an alchemist I couldn't." She ignored me, staring up in awe at the building. "I can't believe I'm actually here – finally – after begging the alchemists so much. Thank you, Adrian."

What she did next surprised me. Though, in all honesty, it shouldn't have.

Flinging herself at me, Sydney wound her arms around my neck and pulled me impossibly closer to her. It took me a while to react because of my sheer shock, but I finally managed to put my hands on her hips and, without hesitation, brought our lips together. Kissing Sydney was different to kissing the other girls – even Rose. It felt like I was a thirsty man who had just spotted a bottle of water, a man who had just come up for air. I couldn't get enough. More than that though, every time we kissed it felt different, despite the fact that we were exactly the same people. The reason for it was simple. I was in love with her.

I didn't know how long we stayed like that, because I soon lost track of time. The only thing I could sense, the only thing I cared about, was the feel of her mouth against mine. Though, somehow we had managed to back ourselves into some sort of alleyway. I knew that we should have tried to find some sort of shelter, a restaurant or a hotel to have a bit of dinner, a place where there were witnesses. However, as our lips moved in synchronisation and our bodies pressed closer together, we had never felt so safe. So, we didn't think to take any precautions.

I didn't realise how stupid that was, until a malevolent shadow loomed up in front of us. Rose would definitely not have been proud.

* * *

_A/N: So, I hope you enjoyed this! It seems pretty slow at first, but since this will be a three-shot at the most, I promise the next chapter will be better! Anyway, review if you'd like to! I've never really written a fanfiction that doesn't involve Rose and Dimitri. Huh...  
_


End file.
